Blue Ice :: Portage Glacier

A mutual decision was made to leave Denali National Park a day early, partially because the time that Sue and Fred had in Alaska was limited and, without advance reservations, we had pretty much done what we could in the park. We drove south on Wednesday (August 11th) through Anchorage and part way around Turnagain Arm to Chugach National Forest and the small town of Portage.

We found a campsite at Williwaw Campground in the National Forest then immediately drove to Portage Glacier Lake and caught the last tour boat of the day for our first close-up look of an Alaska Glacier!

In the late 1800s there were four glaciers in this area that came together. Miners and other hearty souls used the glaciers as portage routes. Portage Lake was formed about a hundred years ago when the glaciers began receding. All four glaciers still exist but three of them are called “hanging glaciers” since they have receded so far and no longer come down into the valley.

Our vessel was the 80-foot Ptarmigan, shown here coming in to shore prior to our tour.

From the visitor center, Portage Glacier is hidden behind the mountain outcropping on the right.

Portage Glacier is on the right. It is called a valley glacier since it goes all the way into the valley. It is 450 feet deep but since there is nothing to give it perspective there was no way to really judge how high it was.

Photographs certainly do not do it justice! The rocks facing us in the center are 175 feet high!

A portion of the face of the glacier.

The closest we got was 300 yards away because of the possibility of calving – where ice breaks away and drops into the water. We didn't see any calving but felt the wake of a shooter – where a piece of ice breaks off beneath the surface and pops up out of the water.

There was a Forest Ranger on board who provided some scientific information about glaciers but, honestly, I wasn't paying attention! The blue color of the ice was intense and amazing. If you want to know more about why the ice is blue, check out this Causes of Color website.

In some places the ice hangs over the surface of the water, thus the “dark line” where the ice meets the water.

To put it into perspective, the Captain showed us a photograph taken a few years ago. He let me take a picture of that photograph and it is being used with his verbal permission. The Ptarmigan (the tour boat we were on) is floating in the middle of the bay amongst smaller icebergs in the same location as we were in – 300 yards away from the face of the glacier – and the boat (the largest of the floating objects) is merely a speck in the water.

High Pressure!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the sun. We would love to get some reports or photos of people's climbs if they would like to share. Climb safe.

It's A Blooming Mystery

Flowers bloom on their own time, a fact that seldom bothers me in my daily life as an Austin slacker. But now that I’ve become a Garden Blogger [note those capital letters!], I occasionally need blooms on my plants for a certain date – like last week's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on May 15th. Nothing makes me drag my feet more than a direct order to hustle, and my garden behaves no less stubbornly. That must be why the Rose of Sharon refused to open one single bud for the 15th, but opened a dozen flowers on the 17th, instead. Should I call it the "Roses of Sharon" since this is more than one shrub in a clump?


There were buds on the Hemerocallis ‘Prairie Blue Eyes’ by the 15th, but none opened until today. It’s not a fancy daylily by today’s standards, but I’ve loved it for a decade, bringing it to Texas from Illinois.

We Garden Bloggers have another scheduled event coming up - the Garden Bloggers book club is due by the end of May. Writing about the book, Passalong Plants, is easy – heck, I’ve even met one of the authors - Felder Rushing - but it’s not so easy to get flowers to open on time. I absolutely need photos of some passalong plants from my own garden to use as illustrations for this post, but will they get their act together and bloom within the next 11 days?

There’s no schedule involved for this next group of plants – just a hope that one of these days they’ll flower for me –

The Pineapple Guava above should bloom in spring – my friend Diane’s shrub was covered in its oddly beautiful flowers just a couple of weeks ago – but this young plant had a rough winter and was frozen back before it had a chance to make any blossoms. The botanical name is Feijoa sellowiana, so it is not actually a guava. Although it would be interesting to taste the fruit, described as Pineapple mixed with strawberry, I’m more interested in seeing the flowers.

Since this pomegranate has leafed out and I like the way the leaves and branches look, is it greedy to want delectable orange flowers, too? I’ll give this young tree one more year in this spot, but if it doesn’t bloom next spring – it will be transplant time the following fall.

Next we have a pair of non-blooming plants. The amarcrinum at right may take a few years to settle in and I’m not worried about it at all… but that perfect weed of a Brugmansia? Angel Trumpets are supposed to love water, sun and organic fertilizer, growing so quickly that even when cut to the ground over winter, they bulk up and hang long, fragrant bells. This one has been treated like a queen for a couple of seasons, given everything it wants, and if it was labeled correctly, someday the bells will be yellow.
I’ll ignore these poky plants, and pay attention to the ones in flower now – a couple of daylilies, annual moss roses, and the last of the larkspur; yellow Achillea, white and gold lantanas and the "Roses" of Sharon; short annual violet Verbenas and tall Verbena bonariensis, a sea of Salvias, budding Cannas and a Butterfly bush in bloom. The view from the back door is just fine today.


NURSERY NEWS
Many of us were dismayed to find that Kimas Tejas Nursery, southeast of Austin in the Bastrop area, had closed its doors last fall. But it wasn’t permanent – I had this news via email from the nursery:
Kimas Tejas has reopened on a seasonal basis. For the months of March, April, May and June, Kimas Tejas will be open Wednesday through Saturday, closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The nursery will be closed for the months of July and August, then will reopen for the fall planting season in September, October and November. Then close for December, January and February.

THE NAMESAKE
One of these days I’m going to buy the DVD of Monsoon Wedding. Did anyone of you also see it? Have you had a special fondness for orange marigolds ever since? The director Mira Nair has a new movie in the theaters, which Philo and I enjoyed this week.
You might like it, too – The Namesake has some wonderful actors with memorable faces, is full of humor, intelligence and sadness, touching on the immigrant experience and Indian customs, separations and reunions, focusing on a coming-of-age story and several becoming-in-love stories. Mira Nair looks at things we’ve seen elsewhere, but from a different perspective. How many times have you seen the Taj Mahal in movies? A dozen times? Usually it looks like a postcard, but this time, it’s seen as the total of many designs and many parts, making us somehow recognize that individual people made those parts.

Farewell Festival

Last night Laura and I decided to take advantage of the last day of the and stack a few of our favorite activities. Laura came up with the name "The Farewell Festival." Not really a festival, but a seriously fun day of outdoor activities. Ideally we plan to continue this in upcoming years as well. Here's my recap of our great day!



Phase 1 - Skiing, Seven Springs resort (Somerset Co.)

First activity of our festival was to get in some skiing at Seven Springs. Ice climbing conditions have been dismal thus far, so we've been enjoying some local man made winter and decided this would be the first activity of the day. We left home in time to make a run down from the North parking lot and hit the lifts at 9:00AM when they first started running. We skied for about a couple of hours enjoying the best conditions of the season thus far. There were no mojo sapping crowds as in previous holiday mornings up there, just perfectly groomed, fast running slopes. Yesterday we had 7" of fresh snow which had skiers and boarders swarming the mountain like bees on a hive. We usually only stay until the lift lines take longer than the runs down the hill. Yesterday was a very short day. If we hadn't planned multiple sporting events for our farewell festival day we definitely would've stayed longer to take advantage of short lift lines, fast conditions and fun jibs. Laura and I cruised some hills, hit some rails all the while filming our hijinks! Alas we had to move on to the next phase of our festival which required considerably less clothes than our phase 1 jibwear!



Phase 2 - Ice climbing, Ohiopyle State Park (Fayette Co.)

After Seven Springs, we made a pit stop at home to exchange gear and clothes. After a quick change out of our baggy ski attire into more trim fitting climbing duds. We packed up the Subaru and set off to Ohiopyle. Meadow Run was our destination. We filmed more pre-climbing stupidity in the car then set off for the crag. Not much ice was to be found, but we managed a few laps each on Season Finale M6. I was anxious to see how my injured shoulder would handle dry tooling. I've been resting it for several weeks now under the care of my good friend Dr. Andy. It seemed to work fine for the limited climbing we did. Also to make my climbing day sweeter was that I finally tried my new Lowa Ice Comp "fruits".

Lowa Ice Comp GTX

They were quite fun and much lighter than my standard mixed boot and crampon combo of Lowa Mountain Expert GTX and Petzl Darts. They should prove to make for some fun climbing this season! With still more festival fun ahead we had to pack up and move on to even funnier looking outfits and phase 3. NOTE: Visiting climbers looking for ice. Next weekend should have some drips forming up. Check for ice condition updates both here and on NEice.com



Phase 3 - Winter Running, Mammoth Park (Westmoreland Co.)

Running is a great interest of mine. I've been running for a number of years now and have logged many, many miles and lots of elevation on both trail and roads. It's a great way to keep your cardio in tip top shape (be sure to focus on hills for climbers). Laura started running this fall and has been working hard while following a safe, proper training schedule. Today was proof how much effort and dedication she's put into becoming a runner. Conditions were less than ideal, but she crushed her 30 minute workout today in proper style. We made the short drive to Mammoth Park, a local county park that has a nice 1.04 mile brick exercise path that is usually kept clear of snow for users. The thermometer in the car read 35 Degrees with gloomy skies. The path was plowed, which resulted in removing the snow, but in its place remained ice. Running it required careful and attentive footwork. Several times I found myself having flashbacks to my morning rail slides at Seven Springs. It was a great run to end the year. Laura followed her program and ran 3 laps like a champ completing a 5k for the first time in winter conditions. I ran 4 laps in a slippery 29:42 then running an easy mile to cool down. We walked together and filmed some running segments for future laughs. We had an amazingly fun day of activities. We're going to be heading out early in the morning to follow our New Years Day climbing tradition. We're heading to the Higher elevations to see if we can't find a New Years first ascent!



Farewell ... Hello !



Happy climbing,

Tim and Laura

Arc'Teryx Atom SV parka?

After writing down my "best" list for / I realised a few days later that I hadn't writtenabout the majority of items on that list. So among other things I am playing catch up on that list. I figure if it is good enough to be on that list and I actually use it, it is worth the effort of a blog. This jacket is well worth some additional exposure. It was my main go to belay parka in Chamonix this winter. And I had several well thought out choices I could and did use in addition to the Atom SV. But the most often used jacket for the cold weather we climbed in during Feb and early Marchthe Atom SV wasmy outer insulation. Twice on cold bivy'sI did use the SVas a mid layer under a Brooks Range Cirro. The Cirro I'll write more about later.



Below: Happy to be tucked away in the in the Midi loo under a few layers. SAG Merion wool hoody, Patagonia R1 Hoody, Atom LT, Patagonia Nano Puff pull ove, Atom SV, Merino wool hatand a Brooks Range Cirro over it all. Just enough in this case to keep me happy. But it was "just enough".













Here is the official spiel:



"Significantly warmer and more protective than a fleece jacket, this insulated hoody is breathable enough to be used as a super warm mid-layer on frigid days and protective enough to be an outer layer while belaying or hanging out at camp. An extra thick dose of synthetic Coreloft™ insulates but packs small, and a light tricot underarm panel enhances breathability. Warm insulated Coreloft™ jacket with an insulated hood; Ideal for use as a super-warm mid-layer in cold conditions, or as a stand-alone piece in warmer conditions"



Technical Features





•Moisture-resistant outer face fabric

•Breathable

•Insulated

•Lightweight

•Compressible and packable

•Wind resistant



Construction

•DWR finish (Durable Water Repellent) helps bead water from fabric surface

•Tricot-lined underarms to enhance breathability



Patterning

•Articulated elbows

•Gusseted underarms



Hood Configuration

•Insulated hood



Pocket Configuration

•Internal chest pocket

•Two hand pockets



Zippers & Fly Configuration

•Full front zip with wind flap



Cuff & Sleeves Configuration

•Stretch-woven cuffs



Hem Configuration

•Drop back hem

•Adjustable hem drawcord



For me it helps to place the Atom SV in the Arc'Teryx range of insulated pieces. The SVis a real jacket compared to the sweater weight and more breathable Atom LT Hoody. But the SV is a lighter weight and more likely used lwt belay jacket version of the Arc'Teryx Duelly. The Duelly is a full blow belay/bivy jacket more suitable for Spring in Alaska imo but now with the SV it is also a little dated. Dated because the SV has many of the Duelly's best design features and a better designed hood for helmet use. But the SVis clearly not as warm as a Duelly.





Happy to be out climbing, up high, mid winter, long after dark?...."Not!"



I used the Atom Lt on a regular basis as a mid layer under the Atom SV. Between the LT and the SV I pretty much had the insulation value of a Duelly with a much more versatile clothing system. But no question there are times I would rather have a Duelly....just hate carrying one. The SV on the other hand is easy for weight and volume in a small pack. No question the best mid weight synthetic insulated climbing jacket I have used to date. Sizing and pattern is perfect for me. It is also the perfect layering pattern to use over a Atom LT or various other layers you might chose. I did get too warm on occasion climbing technical ground while wearing the SV...but I never felt like the jacket was limiting my movement.High praise from me evenif I do look like the Great Pumpkin in mine ;-).

Crystal Backcountry ..

Steve invited me to join him, Sebe and Toph for some skiing. The decision was made to head to the Crystal backcountry and so I tagged along. There were flurries, and a temp of 33° when Steve cam to pick me up in Seattle. We met Toph somewhere south on Renton, and continued in his car. I don't have a great idea of where we skied, but best I can tell we skinned up under the Gold Hills chair and made a few runs in the Pickhandle Basin.

The chair we skinned under was not yet open, due to lack of coverage. No rocks, but plenty of shrubs visible. It didn't impair our skinning and soon we were at the top of the chair ducking into the woods. This is where it got slow. The trees were narrow and we spent plenty of time avoiding downed trees and forcing through narrow gaps between other trees. If there were a few more feet of coverage, we would have had it easier, but these were the cards we were dealt. At one point we even booted a bit due to a steep section with many trees. After that, the forest opened up a bit and we started skinning again until booting the last thirty feet or so to the ridge. We then skinned on the ridge, which was not that great and we should have booted. We got to a nice area out of the wind to drop in and transitioned over.

The snow was deep! Deepest snow we had experienced yet on the day was our first run down. Deep powder, and no rocks. A really fun run. Wasn't too steep, probably a blue run. I had a little difficulty starting out as I was third in line and wanted to go farther right to get into cleaner snow. The snow was slow, and the traverse almost stopped me before I rounded a small tree and turned downslope.

My first run (Photo by Steve Machuga)

We gathered at the bottom and headed up again to a different location on the ridge and a sub bowl on the original run. We found a fun wide chute to run and transitioned back to downhill. Steve went first on a bold run of an arete which slid a bit after he made a few turns. I was third in line and enjoyed the run, but it was definitely a little more avalanche prone and a bit rocky in spots. At the bottom we skied through the tree for a bit until we came to a meadow.

My second run (Photo by Steve Machuga)

We all figured that the terrain would drop again in the woods on the other side of the meadow, so Toph was going to post hole across and then put his board back on while us skiers would shuffle with no skins. Unfortunately, on the other side of the meadow the relatively flat or rolling terrain continued and we all skinned up to make it out of the woods. More unfun tree skinning and we were finally back at the top of the lift ready to make one last run to the car. No issues on the final run and soon we were driving back to Seattle.

This was a fun outing even considering the poor skinning in the trees both up and down. I skied well, but not great. Not bad for almost five months of not skiing. I look forward to getting out again soon.

My pics are here.

Plant Life at White Sands

I was amazed at the variety of plants and vegetation that survive in the dunes of White Sands National Monument. The dunes are constantly on the move, engulfing everything in their path and then slowly uncovering them again. Certain plants have adapted to the environment and manage to survive a little longer – as the sand covers them they grow taller, but when the dune moves on and leaves them exposed they can no longer support their tall growth and then they crumble and die. These are but a few of the plants I saw...



















There was seldom an expanse of the dunes (close to the road) where there were no human footprints. I walked as far as my legs would take me before the knee began hurting and then turned back. There were other footprints in the sand besides those of us humans - - these prints descended the high dune to the ground about 30 feet below and at a very steep angle! Was it a kit fox? They have adapted to the environment by being very small, no more than 5 pounds. They seldom show themselves during the daylight hours.





All photos were taken on Friday, January 6th, ...

Wordless Wednesday - The Line Up

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.
Summer of 1979. Digitized ...
Copyright © 1979/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

Dark Clouds Overhead

Storm clouds have moved in towards late afternoon each of the past few days. Sometimes rain falls, sometimes it doesn't. Southwest Montana July 12, ...

Alpental Ice ..

So the quest for ice begins. (Earlier this year due to La Nina.) Adam and I were thinking of getting out earlier in the week to check conditions at Alpental. Early reports were not positive, so we delayed. I was hoping to head to Leavenworth this weekend, but that plan fell through, and so a quest for ice at Alpental was planned. I was going with Rod, while Adam, Zach, Steen and Kristy were also coming separately from us.

Rod and I were one of the first cars in the lot and we geared up in what felt like weather that was too warm. We commented that we might be "taking the tools for a hike" as Washington State ice climbers will often say. We donned snowshoes, and hiked into Alpental Falls where we hiked up to the falls.

Hiking up to the falls

Alpental I looked in from the base. There was a bit of a boot track to it, so perhaps it was climbed in previous days. I didn't like the drum like nature of the right side as it seemed not to be bonded to the rock underneath. Right in front of me was a snow gully like feature which I told Rod I'd give a try at. So we geared up and I started climbing. When I got to the first step, I didn't feel comfortable with the thin ice, and down climbed off the route collecting my screw on the way. We decided to head up valley to see if anything else was in to climb.

Around this time our friends showed up and went past us before we regained the trail. Zach and Adam headed back to the car to get their snowshoes for the off trail travel. We joined the women near the base of Alpental IV. Rod and I inspected the possibility of climbing Alpental IV while the other group set up some top ropes in the woods. We eventually joined them as neither of us wanted to lead any of the falls. Way too much running water.

So we all got to top rope three short lines in the woods. A fairly thick line on the right, a mixed (mostly rock) line in the middle, and a mixed (mostly ice/snow) line on the left. After we all tired out and started to get cold we took the top ropes down.

Kristy on the fatter ice

This outing went about how I would have expected it to go. I was happy to use my (new to me) tools and go leashless for the first time. Surprisingly, I did not over grip. But I was very concerned about dropping them as I have yet to build my umbilical. The freedom of going leashless was wonderful, and I was surprised that it did not take much for me. Perhaps because I haven't climbed ice in a while, I forgot about relying on the leashes. I look forward to more leashless climbing.

Gunks Routes: Commando Rave (5.9) & Dat-Mantel (5.10b)

(Photo: Maryana starting the crux section of Commando Rave (5.9).)



Last Sunday was a gorgeous day, with highs in the mid- to-upper sixties. In other words: sending weather. High season, baby!



I was meeting up with Maryana for the first time in a while. She had been forced to take an eight-week break from climbing because of a cycling accident in the city, which had left her with several fractures in her back. This was a heartbreaking blow for her, coming as it did right in the middle of a great climbing year. Before the accident Maryana had led some truly impressive Gunks 5.10's (like Birdcage, for example). But now she had to rebuild. I was climbing with her on only her second weekend back in the climbing game.



We started with a nice warm-up. I led both pitches of Son of Bitchy Virgin (5.6) in one, running it all the way to the GT ledge. I'd never done the first pitch before. It is okay, but after the initial 5.5 overhang there isn't really much to recommend it. I think the second pitch is quite nice, but it is better approached via the Immaculate Conception variation.



After our warm-up Maryana did an excellent job leading Dry Heaves, a challenging 5.8. Then I got down to business with one of those 5.9's I still hadn't gotten around to: Commando Rave.



Dick Williams suggests in his guide book that Commando Rave is a polarizing climb. He says some love it and some hate it. I guess the hate springs from the lack of pro before the crux. The climb begins with some nice moves up a seam. Then comes an unprotected thirty-foot (!) traverse, but really this traverse is so easy it is barely fifth class. For most of it you are basically walking on a sidewalk. And about two-thirds of the way across I actually got a big blue Camalot in the crack at my feet. After that the rest of the way was well-protected.



The crux is really fun. You angle up and right through some overhangs to a left-facing corner. The hardest bit comes as you reach the end of the roof at the corner. You have to hang in to place a bomber piece, and then it takes a balance move out right to escape the corner and reach up to the good hold.



Once through the crux the belay tree is just a couple of moves away. Commando Rave is good, featuring a solid 5.9 crux. It is a quality quick tick, and totally worth doing. It isn't amazing, and it certainly isn't bad. I really can't imagine loving or hating it.







(Photo: Heading up to the big roof on Dat-Mantel (5.10b).)



I felt pretty good about Commando Rave, and afterwards thought I might get another quick tick, this time of a 5.10. I jumped right on the nearby Dat-Mantel.



This was a climb I'd aborted leading with Gail. On that occasion I was just getting up to the roof when I realized I needed some big gear I'd already used below, and then it started raining. After abandoning the lead I sent it pretty easily on toprope on the first try. Pissed to have found it so easy, I resolved then to try to come back and get the redpoint on lead before was out.







(Photo: Getting ready to attack the roof on Dat-Mantel.)



This time, on lead, I wouldn't say it went easily, exactly. I fumbled about a bit before figuring out how to reach the bomber horizontal above the roof. Then I was psyched to place two good cams above the roof, one for each of our double ropes.



I got set to throw a heel and pivot over the roof....



And it worked out. It took a few tries. It wasn't pretty. I remember standing right up over the roof when I did it on top rope. On lead, by contrast, I ended up basically pushing my whole leg and hip into the rock before I could pull myself over the roof. But I never weighted the rope, and I made it! I'll gladly call it a victory and put it in the bank.



Dat-Mantel is a good introductory 5.10. The crux is short and the pro is great. You should be careful as you figure out how to reach the horizontal over the roof. There is good pro at the back, where the roof meets the wall, but until you can plug that horizontal over your head a fall will send you down onto the slab.It wouldn't bea dangerous fall, but it would be unpleasant. Once you get your fingers in the horizontal, however,there are great placements left and right, and you can try the roof move over and over again without falling onto the rope.



After Dat-Mantel my day was as good as done. With a new 5.9 onsight to my credit plus a successful 5.10, I was content to coast. Maryana proved herself to be the comeback kid, leading two more hard 5.8's: the wonderful first pitches of both Carbs & Caffeine and Airy Aria. I then got to end our day by combining the beautiful second and third pitches of Airy Aria into one lead, a fitting finish to a glorious day of climbing.



I love sending season.

An Early Morning Visit...

An Early Morning Visit..., originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

I woke up early this morning to go check on my 'Grandpa Ott' morning glories. Look at what I found!

Apple Tree

We have two small apple trees. So far we have never had any apples of of them. But we have lots of blossoms this year. Here is a close up of a blossom that just opened. Notice some sort of insect on the leaf under the blossom.

Blue Ice Warthog 38L

For those not familar with the smaller,original version of the Blue Ice Warthog, the 26L pack take a look here:



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//07/blue-ice-new-warthog-alpine-pack.html



12Ls bigger to start with over the 26L Warthog. Probably more realistic for most of us in North America. Same basicvolumethat I have been using for a long time most everywhere here, Canada and in the Alps.It is an aquired taste/size. All the same features as the original.



Same 18" back length and 3" spread at the top of the should straps. Weight is 910g or 2# even. Weight listed on the Blue Ice web site is 890g.But stripped of straps and the removable waist belt it would be lighter than the 780g. Material is 500 x *50 denier Cordura. And a nice mellow red in color. YKK zippers and a double fabric bottom.









Nice, simple and useful alpine pack. I really like it.



http://www.blueice.com/en/home/

Have Tractor! Will Dig!

Even I got on the tractor. Dustin wants work for his tractor. Clearing brush, or digging holes with the back hoe.

The RAB Xenon jacket

Because I like and use the Atom LT so much and the Mtn Hardware Compressor before it I am always on the look out for first rate lightly insulated (60g) climbing jackets.



The Xenon first came to my attention and a few of my pals a couple of seasons ago. I was pretty stoked...right up till I had a chance to try one on and found the side pockets had no zippers. What was RAB thinking on that one? I actually discussed that with one of the RAB reps earlier this fall. I just figured someone made a huge mistake on that order to China.



But nope no zippers was intentional first time around to save weight. Clearly stopped me and a couple of my friends from buying the Xenon though.



This year the Xenon does have zippers on the pockets, thankfully. Makes them so they don't fill up with snow and you can actually store something in them with no worry of loosing what ever that happens to be.



The RAB party line:



"The Xenon Jacket is a super lightweight synthetic insulated jacket with a very light outer fabric.





The Xenon Synthetic insulated jacket is the culmination of several years hard work with fabric and synthetic insulation suppliers. We have taken Primaloft® synthetic fill and wrapped it up in the lightest Pertex® Quantum® GL 10 Denier fabric that is currently available.



You get a full length garment with a full length YKK zip, 2 hand warmer pockets and a chest pocket and all for just 340g/12oz!!! The whole jacket packs into its own chest pocket and is ideal as a superlight belay or over layer jacket, to be carried in a pack or clipped to a harness.



Ideal for Alpine Climbing, Mountain Marathon,Mountain Walking, Trek and travel and any fast and light activities. What more could you want?"



Sizes: S - XXL



Weight: 330g / 12oz



◦Pertex® Quantum® GL 10D ultra light rip stop nylon outer and lining



◦Light 60g Primaloft® One in body, sleeves and hood

◦Lycra bound hood fits snugly under a helmet.

◦1-way YKK front zip with internal insulated zip baffle and chin guard

◦2 YKK zipped hand warmer pockets and 1 YKK zipped chest pocket

◦Double exit hem drawcord

◦Packs away into chest pocket

◦Short cut





I am obviously not doing any climbing right now. But I am using the Xenon almost every day. I really like this jacket. One of my projects has been to figure out where in my climbing clothing system I can use this one.



It would be a LOT easier if the hood fit over a helmet. It doesn't. Typically that would "kill" any climbing jacket for my ow use. But the new Xenon(with pocket zips) is good enough that I have been looking for places to use this jacket. Here are the reasons I want to use this jacket. First off the materials used, Primaloft One and Pertex® Quantum® make it a lwt package that is hard to ignore. The nice detailing,zipper baffle, corner zipper reinforcements,andthe fleecechin guard you notice. Even the hood has a slick little retaining strap for when it is not in use. The XL size is more like a comfy US large than a XL and it actually fits me very well after the chemo diet. It might be the only jacket in the house that does come to think about it!






If I am not using the hood I don' want it full of snow...the hood retainer strap is a nice detail.








The Xenon tucked into it's own chest pocket with a loop for clipping it to your harness. My XL (call it a roomy US large) weighs in at full 11.8OZ! For once the "stuff" pocket is over size for the jacket and easily goes into this one. The jacket would gointo a smaller (more durable)stuff sack if the bulk is a concern on the harness. Though you are on your own for that.




I may not get the winter use I had planned for the Xenon without a hood that will go over my helmet. But this will certainly be the jacket I throw in the pack for the rest of the year as required. Yep, at under 12oz. I like it, a lot. Really, who actually gives an honest garment weight these days..BRAVO, on that oneRAB!




I like it enough that if they made the hoodbig enough togo over a helmet and kept the zippers onthe side pockets I'd buy one of those too :) After all how much weight is a bigger hood really going to add?



Here is a buying tip....if you find this jacket on sale via the Internet...make sure the version you are getting has the side pocketzips if you require them.